October 18, 1982. Ne-Yo's real name is Shaffer Smith.
On the difference between singing and songwriting in an interview with SixShot.com: "A songwriter can have a normal life. You’re an ordinary person. But as an artist, some things can’t be ignored. You have to make sure you look like a million bucks. There’s a certain image you have to maintain."
Ne-Yo is part of a family of musicians from Arkansas. He grew up in a single parent home. Ne-Yo's mother moved the family to Las Vegas, Nevada while he was growing up, and it was there he discovered his love for and interest in music. Ne-Yo began writing songs at an early age.
Ne-Yo's big break in the music business occurred in early 2005 when Mario's single "Let Me Love You" topped pop and r&b charts. The song was co-written by Ne-Yo with Scott Storch and Kam Houf. He was signed to a contract with Columbia Records as an artist, but organizational problems stopped his album from being released.
Ne-Yo practices martial arts.
After leaving Columbia Records, Ne-Yo signed with DefJam. "Stay," his first single for the new label, reached the r&b top 40 in the U.S. The followup single "So Sick" has become his pop breakthrough climbing into the pop top 40 by early 2006. Ne-Yo's first album In My Own Words was set for a February 28, 2006 release.
